The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-09-30

not literally down TO my UOOLS, lIieI
very near to them, in my IMAGINATION
As | was sitting directly bet weeI
the horrible spot ard my companion
he did not see it, and with a feeling o
devout thankfulness | managed, with
out exciting his suspicious, to cover
it up with a portion Of the leaves We
had piled near the hearth.
As we were dispatching the remains
OF our dinner my companion, not
without considerable nervousness,
however, and a white, scared tact
with lips that scarcely pronounced
the words above a whisper, related to
me in iull horrible story Of the drink
maddened man who in a moment o!
frenzy had murdered his loving wife
and innocent little baby.
BY this time the night had fairly
settled down upon US, and the dark
ness, save where the dim glow OF the
/ fire rested, was impenetrable. The
| thick shadows enveIOped us wen
where we sat, for, the fuel beng poor,
we had continually to OAK our tire
to burn, and were often without even
a pretenCe Of a blaze.
Suddenly-'ust as my companion
W IS describing to me the terrible head
long rush with which the trenzied Hig-
gins mad sprung upon his crOuchlng
wife-thcre came piercing through the
thick wall OF darkness behind us the
startIingly distinct sound Of q heavy
body rushing through space, and the
instant after the same sound repeat
ed, each in turn followed by a dull
thuQ and then the noise OF heavy, un-
certain footsteps.
With a hOarse cry my companion
sprang suddenly upward, but iell
again to his knees. While Clasping his
arms convuIsively, yet tightly, about
my body, he fixed lbs eyes upon me
in II long. appealing, despairing
gaze.
had just placed my hand upon my
shoulder to reassure him, and was
opening my lips to speak when there
came terrific crash, followed by to-
tai darkness, while something cold
and wet was dashed into Our faces
and fell all about us. The next mo-
ment q woman's terrible cry, mingled
with q baby's frightened scream, rang
through the cabin.
With another cry, almost as blood
curdling, my m0untaineer sprang up,
and, ere | could divine his intention.
dashed madly through the door anG
into the raging storm without.
1t was truly a moment OF horror
and my first impulse was to follow
my wildly fleeing companion. But
the next moment l realized the utter
madness of facing such a storm in i'm
penetraOle darkness on a precIpitous
mountain side
Feeling for my revolver I grasped it
firmly in n hand and CROPPED my
way to the fireplace with the other.
1t vas banked with snow
! next felt for a match in order to
strike a light, and realized with hor
ror that the last one in my possession
had been used to start the fire. The
terrible cries and screams now momen.
tarily increased, intermingled with
low means and mysterious footsteps.
Suddenly became aware that some
thing or some one was stealthily ap.
preaching the fireplace where l stood.
The next moment two burning eyes,
apparently fixed on me, glowed
through the darkness. That it was a
moment | felt in every vein
and 6oer. Quick as thought / raised
my revolver, took deliberate aim, and
fired.
There was a sharp report, q binding
flash, a human cry OF agony. q WON
ans blood-curdling shrek again, flew
pltiful means, then all was still
for an instant r so.
The next moment there was the
rush OF footsteps, hoarse, maddened
cries-once more the sound OF a heavy
body passing through space. Again
and then the same low means.
lntermingled with heavy sobs of pain.
Cropping my way to the corner of
thecabin at the right of the fireplace,
| climbed, by means of thel chinks be-
tween the logs, as quickly as the
darkness and my own safety would
allow, to a long shelf | had previous
" noticed a considerable distance
above the floor and but a couple OF
.eet or so beneath the lott. Andthere
upon my left side, with myface turned
toward the room below, and revol.
yer in hand, ! lay through the long
hours of the night.
The morning light showed me dead
upon the floor a huge panther, while
> careful Investigation OF the cabin
Ind its surroundings by the same
light fully cleared up the mystery Of
terrible cries and other sounds
we had heard.
'Ehree days later the body Of the
unfortunate mountaineer was found
some two hundred yards or more
rom the cabin where it had been
completely buried in a snowdrift.